Plans for the proposed Property Tax to be levied in future by local councils would lead to “gross inequalities in funding”, said a spokesperson for the Campaign Against Household & Water Taxes ( CAHWT ).

“Allowing councils to disburse Property Tax would further cement inequality. Wealthier areas which collected higher levels would have more money to spend,” said Cllr Ruth Coppinger of the CAHWT. “Areas with less expensive housing and lower incomes would end up with less. Those areas most reliant on local authority services would be discriminated against. ”

“Minister Hogan is cooking up a recipe for social division if he bases council funding on Property Tax revenues.”

“WE believe the Property Tax will be bitterly opposed and boycotted on a mass scale. Thousands who paid the Household Tax under pressure will have no choice but to join a mass boycott of Property Tax next year, ” said Cllr Coppinger.

“Property Tax on an average home of €167,000 would be €400 at the government rate and €800 at the IMF rate. This is unsustainable.”

“The government should have learnt the lesson from the IMF Report that austerity is not working and is doing damage to the economy. Serious wealth and asset taxes are the alternative to a home tax hitting low and middle incomes.”

About the Campaign

The Campaign Against the Household Tax is currently a precursor coalition of political and community activists, including trade unionists, tenants association organisers, TDs, and others come together around a common programme of building a mass non-payment campaign to defeat the new unfair and regressive taxes being imposed on us by the government in order to pay for the bank bailouts. The campaign's aim is to facilitate the setting up of local neighbourhood groups organising for non-payment and for the bottom-up creation of regional and city federations of local groups and a national federation on a democratic, participatory basis.